Travelling the Parallel Lines
by crazygirlne
Summary: Rose and the Doctor finally have a functioning TARDIS after six years of being confined to Pete's World's Earth. They also have a new addition to their family. How will they balance being new parents and traveling through time and space? Fourth in the Parallel Lines series, but can be read alone. Vague references to the Christmas special if you're trying to avoid all spoilers.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: This is the fourth story in the Parallel Lines series. I do try to make each story so that it still makes sense if you haven't read the earlier stories in the series, but I don't go overboard with the recaps, so if you haven't read the first stories and I kinda gloss over something, it was probably explained better in an earlier story._

_Adult edits of the story can be found on whofic under the same story title. If a chapter has more than a line or two that has been cut for this lower-rated version, I'll specify that at the beginning. This first chapter doesn't have anything missing._

_I haven't got an official beta for this fic, but britgirlatheart has been awesome in letting me bounce ideas off her to make sure I don't go overboard ;)_

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Traveling the Parallel Lines

Chapter One

When Rose woke from her vivid dream, she turned to reach for her husband, but the Doctor wasn't in their bed. Since he didn't need quite as much sleep as the average human, this wasn't too unusual an occurrence. Rose got out of bed, her body still protesting the early hour despite her mind's alert state after the dream that woke her.

She left the bedroom and peeked into the next room over, stopping at the door frame to admire the view she found inside.

The Doctor was walking back and forth in the small room, talking quietly as he gently bounced their two-month-old daughter in his arms, smiling as the infant cooed in return. Lilliana Jane Tyler had her father wrapped around her little finger already and had from the moment she was born.

"And that, Miss Lily," he was saying now, "is why you should never wink at a Rhondisomian prince."

"I learned that the hard way," said Rose as she walked over to join her family. "It took ages to get the smell out."

The Doctor turned to his wife and beamed. He studied Rose a moment, then gave the sleepy baby a kiss on the forehead, gently placed her in her crib, and watched a moment to be sure she would go back to sleep without any further help. The Doctor took Rose's hand and led her out into the hallway and back to their room.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I had a dream," replied Rose. "It was him."

"Are you sure?" said the Doctor. "It has been over a year since you saw what was happening to the other Doctor. I was nearly certain that you wouldn't have any more of the dreams after the remains of Bad Wolf finished synthesizing with your DNA. The only way there could possibly be enough of an impact to revitalize the connection enough to send the vision through the void would be… Oh. He regenerated, didn't he?"

For five years, Rose had gotten dreams from their original world's Doctor, seeing and feeling along with him when he was thinking of her, though the times didn't always sync up properly, a hazard of time travel. This had stopped just over a year before in Rose's timeline, and neither had really expected any more dreams to occur.

"Yeah," said Rose. "I think so. It was… it was odd. There was this surge, right, like when you regenerated? Only he didn't change right away. And he felt so tired. I think he was ready to go, expecting it, even. He spent all this time remembering, but not really fighting it, you know? It was so different from last time."

The Doctor hugged his wife, knowing she'd always feel any pain that she was aware of from any version of himself. After a moment, he felt her relax.

"I'm okay, Doctor. And he is, too, I think, the new new new new Doctor," she said, pulling back to smile at him.

He smiled back at her.

"Did you get to see any of the next regeneration?" he asked. "And did you see how it happened? Wasn't sure I'd have another."

Rose shook her head.

"Not really," she said. "He started remembering. He was regretting something, thinking about all of his regrets, about people stuck in parallel worlds. Not sure what triggered that, but I think that's what started the link with me. It wasn't very strong, and then there was like this flash of gold, right? And then he started regenerating. When he changed, it felt… I dunno, like he didn't know who he was yet, and then the dream ended."

The Doctor looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Regeneration can be pretty disorienting," he said. "I don't expect that you'll see him again like that. I can't think of anything other than regeneration that would reactivate the connection, and the more time that passes since the synthesising, the less likely even that is." He looked fondly down at Rose and then over to their bed, saying, "Come on. Let's get you back in bed. Big morning coming up, first time out in the new TARDIS!"

He beamed at her as they moved to get comfortable. Rose snuggled close to him in their bed.

"I'm glad you stayed the same for me, Doctor," she said, already more asleep than awake.

He held her tight, his single heart beating steadily. "So am I, Rose. So am I."

As Rose slept, the Doctor thought about how much had stayed the same and how much was different, and he wondered what the other Doctor would think of this perfect life that had seemed so impossible.

O~O~O~O~O~O

The next morning passed in a blur. From her various newborn-friendly perches, Lily happily watched her parents running about as they finished packing the TARDIS (who wasn't yet able to supply things are readily as she eventually would) for their first adventure. Lily was a very observant child, and her proud parents were already fairly certain she was a genius.

As they loaded the last few things they might need, the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," yelled Rose in the vicinity of the back door as she retrieved Lilliana from her bouncer and moved to the front door, which was now being knocked on. "Mum!" she said in surprise as she opened the door. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"What, and miss saying goodbye to my only daughter and grandchild? Come here," said Jackie as she reached for Lily.

Letting her mother take her daughter, Rose led them inside the house.

"You told me when you were going and didn't expect me to say goodbye?" complained Jackie. "It's gonna be just like it was before, I know it, you swanning off without a word. Only told me because you needed me to look after the cat, didn't you? Where is she, anyway?"

Puff, the grey and white cat that the Doctor and Rose had adopted on their honeymoon, had been making herself scarce lately. The Doctor had tried to introduce the feline to the TARDIS; Puff had immediately gotten, well, puffy, and she had refused to go anywhere near the TARDIS or anywhere near Rose and the Doctor for at least a few hours after they'd been inside the ship.

When the couple realized they would be unable to take the cat along on trips, they arranged for a system, just in case. Rose and the Doctor would plan not to be gone more than a day in this timeline, but Rose accepted, even if the Doctor didn't care to, that there might be slight navigational errors on their part. As a result, they would let Jackie know each time they left, and she would call every few days. If Rose and the Doctor were still gone, Jackie would come refill the cat's bowls and such, ensuring the cat wouldn't be left alone for too long.

"Puff is probably hiding in the bedroom," said Rose now. "She's terrified of the TARDIS and she hides if we've been in and out too often."

"Don't blame her, do I?" said Jackie as she gently bounced her granddaughter. "The other TARDIS was bad enough, but this one has its own mind, it does. I'm not stepping foot in it. Cat's the only one with any sense in this house." She looked back at the baby she was holding. "Well, except for you, Miss Lily. But you can't leave your parents alone, now can you?" Addressing Rose again, Jackie continued, "Do you really think it's safe for her on that thing?"

"Mum," said Rose, trying to remain patient, "we've been through this. We're not willing to risk missing our child grow up. We won't take her anywhere we aren't sure is safe."

"Are you gonna be okay with that? Won't get bored?" asked Jackie. "And what happens if that thing decides it wants to go somewhere else? It was bad enough when it was just himself driving, but a ship that can travel without being told to?"

Rose took a deep breath, remembering her labor and wishing they hadn't told Jackie the real reason they left on that day.

O~O~O~O~O~O

Two months earlier, after the Doctor had excitedly announced that the TARDIS was officially capable of her first trip, Rose had waddled out to the garden to join him in the blue phone box, just as glad as he was that they'd no longer be earth-bound.

She took in the appearance of the console room (very similar to the one with which she was familiar, with something just a little different that she couldn't immediately put her finger on) and watched the Doctor as he fiddled near a screen, entranced.

"She's not very big yet," he told her as he worked, "but we've got a bedroom, a nursery, a kitchen, a loo, and an infirmary. Everything we need, right? I'll ask her to work on the library next. Or you could. She did bond with you before she did with me, after all, so she should accept your input just as well."

Rose looked around, happily soaking in the hum of the TARDIS and feeling the mental link whose presence she'd adjusted to over the year prior. As her eyes passed over the doors, a thought occurred to her.

"Wait, I thought you said the TARDIS looked like a police call box because of a broken chameleon circuit, yeah?" Rose said. "Ours isn't broken already, is it, that she looks like that?"

"Best I can tell," replied the Doctor, "her chameleon circuit is fully functional. It appears she recognises her current location as home and has chosen the shape with which she is most comfortable, and she seems to have chosen that based on what she sees in our minds. This is partly a guess, of course, but I am very good at guessing," he added with a wink.

"Is it safe to take her out before the baby is born?" she asked.

"Well," he scratched his neck. "Travel through space should be acceptable, I think. The vortex itself should be safe this late in the pregnancy, but I think materializing in a new time after leaving a different one would be potentially problematic. We'll have to take a couple of months off after the baby is born; she won't have your help with the shielding, so to speak. A trip or two in a theoretical emergency situation wouldn't likely affect anything, but there's no need to take any extra risks with her life."

Rose groaned.

"What?" said the Doctor, still physically working with the interface. "I never do risk anyone on purpose. I may have been careless a time or two or three, and maybe I get carried away in the heat of a new adventure, but there's no need…."

"Doctor," interrupted Rose. "That contraction was stronger, and it's only been a few minutes since the last one. I think she's finally coming."

"Right," said the Doctor, leaping up to help. "The infirmary was finished just in time! I wonder whether she knew when Lilliana was planning to join us. Oh! Perhaps they've bonded already. That will make the transition to pilot much easier for Lily when she's old enough. What do you think, maybe six years old? Eight?"

"Doctor," said Rose again. Though the Doctor was good at focusing when he wanted to, he did still have a tendency to ramble at occasionally inconvenient times.

"What?" he asked. "Oh! Right. Sorry."

He led her to the infirmary, which was currently decorated in soft, soothing colors and fully equipped as a labor and delivery room. He helped her onto the table and then left the room for a few minutes, returning looking quite proud of himself.

"I heard you tell Jackie that I'd call her as soon as we knew you were in labor," he said, "so I called her! You didn't even have to tell me to do it. And we should have a screen in here somewhere...Aha! This will let us monitor the TARDIS doors and see who's coming without leaving the infirmary. Isn't that brilliant? It's got speakers, too!"

"Yeah, brilliant, Doctor," said Rose in a strained voice as she made it through another contraction. "I really wanted my mother in this tiny space with us."

"Ah," said the Doctor, realizing he might not have assessed the situation correctly. "Well, she can't get into the TARDIS unless we let her."

"And, what, we're going to listen to her scream when we don't?" asked Rose, not at her most patient.

"I'm sorry, Rose," said the Doctor earnestly, taking her hand. "I'm so, so sorry."

Rose burst into laughter.

"You look like someone died, Doctor. Yeah, it woulda been nice to be just us, but you were trying to help, yeah? It's sweet."

The Doctor blinked.

"Mood changes aren't an uncommon symptom of early labor," he ventured, clearly unsure how to act.

"Doctor," said Rose, irritated again. "I'm not gonna bite you. You look terrified."

Jackie chose that moment to come running up to the TARDIS doors, having made the trip from the Tyler mansion to the Doctor and Rose's house in record time.

"Rose! Rose, sweetheart, I'm here!" called Jackie.

As she came into view of the monitor, Rose and the Doctor saw that she was laden with bags.

At that moment, each felt their link with the TARDIS surge briefly, and then the TARDIS started making the distinctive sound of her dematerialization. Jackie screeched at them from outside while the Doctor raced to the console.

_"Doctor,"_ sent Rose mentally after she communicated briefly with the TARDIS, made easier when they'd gone far enough to block out her mother's voice, _"nothing's wrong. Come back."_

Their short-range ability to communicate telepathically with each other was just one of the benefits Rose and the Doctor had acquired after creating a permanent mental bond. The Doctor ran back into the room, still looking concerned, eyes darting to the view of the time vortex now showing on the monitor.

"Doctor," said Rose calmly, "she felt that we didn't want to be around Mum right now. She reacted by keeping us safe, taking us to the vortex."

The Doctor grinned, a smile that started slowly and ended by covering much of his face.

"Oh, you are brilliant, you are," he said, stroking one of the infirmary walls.

Rose, feeling proud of the TARDIS herself, still had to resist rolling her eyes. That is, until her next contraction hit.

The rest of her labor was miraculously uneventful and relatively short, and the new family of three was able to return safely home, the biggest threat the new grandmother who might never let them forget they ran away from her in such a memorable fashion.

O~O~O~O~O~O

Bringing herself back to the present and to explaining to her mother why she wasn't scared of the TARDIS, Rose turned to Jackie.

"Mum, she's not just telepathic," she said. "She smart, too, you know? She's not going to risk the baby."

"I'm still afraid you're gonna get bored and she'll think she's helping by taking you to some crazy planet with aliens that want to eat your brains," grumbled Jackie before she stopped to make faces at Lilliana.

"Actually," said the Doctor, who'd slipped into the room unnoticed, "I had an idea about that. The TARDIS itself is safe. The circumstances that would be dangerous from within the TARDIS are too unlikely to worry about, so all we need is someone to come with us and keep an eye on Lilliana, right?"

"Yeah," said Jackie, "but don't think you're getting me on that ship. I won't do that, not even to keep you two from getting bored. Drop her off at the mansion any time you want some time alone, but I'm not setting foot in that thing."

The Doctor stood behind Rose, his hands on her shoulders, and she could feel him gathering his patience.

"I don't mean you, Jackie," he said. "No offence, but I was more thinking about someone who might have a chance of dealing with anything unexpected that could possibly arise on a time-and-space ship."

Rose ignored her mother's offended noises as she turned to face her husband.

"Do you mean Jack?" she asked him.

"Yes, I do," he said, searching her eyes for approval. "I hope that's okay since I already asked him. He said he'd gladly stay in with Lilliana a night a week in exchange for an equal number of trips to pleasure planets and the like. We would, of course, keep Lilliana on the TARDIS with us for his trips."

Rose thought a moment, then smiled.

"That sounds brilliant," she said.

He beamed at her, making a happy noise as he did so.

"Fantastic," he said. "This first trip is just for the three of us, and Jack had to take some time to get things in order at Torchwood, anyway, but he'll be joining us on our next time out."

Rose and the Doctor hugged each other tightly until Jackie cleared her throat.

"Oi, none of that with a baby in the room," Jackie scolded them. "She watches everything you do, you know."

Rose sighed.

"We were only hugging," she said as she reached to take her daughter back. "Come on, Miss Lily, it's time to go."

The little family said goodbye to Jackie and got onto the TARDIS, strapping Lilliana into her specially-designed safety seat. Rose and the Doctor took their places at the console, each doing their part to prepare the ship to leave.

"Ready?" asked the Doctor, looking at Rose with excitement in his eyes.

"Ready!" she replied, just as enthusiastic.

"Alright, then," the Doctor said with a grin as he flipped one last lever. "Allons-y!"


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's Note: This first "adventure" they go on is pretty much just a fun sort of trip; they have a newborn with them! But that's why Jack will be joining after this trip, so we can shake things up a bit for the Doctor and Rose :)_

_Disclaimer: Right, I forgot to say, I don't own Doctor Who. I figure you're aware of that by now._

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Chapter Two

As the TARDIS rematerialized at her first new location, Rose and the Doctor beamed at each other. While the Doctor verified readings on the TARDIS's monitor, Rose consulted with the TARDIS telepathically and retrieved Lilliana from her seat.

"Everything looks good, Doctor," she said.

"Yup!" he replied happily. "Planet Raccorine, only about 500 years in your future. The readings are agreeing with what I remember of the planet and time, and they also match what we verified through Torchwood. Since Raccorinites have made it to this version of Torchwood, I was able to verify that there are no unexpected differences as a result of the parallel dimension."

As the Doctor continued explaining the planet they'd landed on, he helped Rose get Lily into the wrap that would keep the baby safe and securely held to Rose's front, leaving hands free. The new wrap, of course, had a couple pockets that the Doctor had managed to make bigger on the inside, eliminating any need for a diaper bag. In addition, after this first fitting, the wrap would automatically adjust to accommodate Rose and Lilliana.

"This planet is as safe as they come," he told them, "with virtually no crime. The inhabitants are fairly childlike and quite peaceful. Between that and the bright colors to stimulate Miss Lily's eyes and mind, I thought this place would be perfect for our first trip."

As the Doctor finished checking a strap in the back, he placed a kiss on Rose's neck, sending her an image of mock surprise on his face as he felt her reaction to that.

"Ready to go, Mrs. Tyler?" he asked, moving to stand beside her, wiggling his fingers and holding out his hand for her to take.

"Been ready for years," she responded, taking his hand and moving to open the doors.

Despite having been partially prepared by the Doctor, Rose gasped in delighted surprise at the vivid colors the planet had to offer. The sky was still blue, but it was a richer blue than she'd ever seen, and it looked as if she could reach out a hand to touch the cloudless sky. They'd landed in a city, and the roads, instead of a dull grey, were orange, the buildings a wide array of colors. What grass she could see was a maroon sort of color instead of green, and the inhabitants themselves were tall and lavender with varied, colorful hair.

The Doctor seemed quite pleased with her reaction, having been watching her more than the first view of the planet.

"Well, go on, then," he told her, gesturing for her to step out of the TARDIS. She did, and she was startled again as she turned and saw the shape their ship had taken.

"Doctor," she ventured, "the TARDIS is supposed to blend in, yeah?"

He turned to face the TARDIS, looking mildly taken aback as he moved his eyes upward.

"Ah. Well, right, yes, that's the idea," he said, letting go of Rose's hand to take out his sonic screwdriver.

The ship, instead of taking a form that would blend into her surroundings, had turned into a brilliantly-colored spiral, orange and purple stretching high above the local buildings.

Rose tapped briefly into her link with the TARDIS and felt something like pride and amusement from the ship, and she chuckled in response.

"Well, at least the colors seem to fit in," she said while the Doctor still looked a little confused.

"I may have to recalibrate the chameleon circuit," he said. "Still, nobody seems to be noticing her any more than your version of modern London noticed a police box, so her perception filter is working in that regard, at any rate."

After making sure Lily had a chance to see the TARDIS's current appearance, the small family wandered the town, taking their time, stopping at whatever shops caught their eyes. As they passed a fountain that was filled with a bright, turquoise water, Rose thought she heard someone crying.

"Wait, Doctor," she said, moving cautiously to investigate. On the far side of the fountain sat one of the six-foot, lavender locals, a female who was crying into her hands.

"Hey there," said Rose tentatively. "You alright?"

The Raccorinite uncovered her face and looked at Rose, sniffling.

"I lost it," she told her.

"Lost what?" asked Rose, gently.

"My ring!" the woman replied, distraught, before breaking into sobs once again.

_"Judging by how upset she is, I suspect she is referring to her wedding ring,"_ explained the Doctor silently. _"This race is not naturally telepathic, but spouses are able to share a very limited form of it through a bond created by their rings, making the wedding rings a good deal more important than they are even in other cultures. To lose a ring is to forever lose an important part of a relationship."_

_"She can't just get a new one made or something?"_ asked Rose, her right hand unconsciously moving to touch her own wedding band.

"Nope," came the Doctor's reply._ "The rings are genetically imprinted at the time of their birth. Each one is unique and can't ever be replaced."_

"Well, maybe we can help you find it," Rose told the crying woman. "My name's Rose, and this is the Doctor. The little one who has fallen asleep is Lily."

The woman sniffed again but stopped crying long enough to speak. "My name is Ali. You think you can help me?"

"Well, we can certainly try," said the Doctor positively. "I believe that if I am able to access the other end of the link, I can stimulate a response from the native material, thus creating a beacon of sorts that should lead us right to the ring, theoretically."

At the slightly confused look on Ali's face, Rose stepped in to translate.

"He means," she told her, "that we might be able to use your husband to find the ring."

Ali sniffed again, loudly, looking both hopeful and troubled.

"I was hoping to get it back before he noticed," she told them. "He's going to be so upset with me."

"Well, the important thing is that you get it back, right?" said Rose encouragingly.

Ali took a steadying breath.

"Right," she said. "Okay then. He's probably on his lunch break anyhow, so this is as good a time as any. You're sure you'll be able to find it?" she asked the Doctor, looking him in the eye as she stood.

"Fairly certain, yes," he replied. "I'd estimate approximately a ninety-eight point three percent chance that it will work as planned, with another one point four percent chance that it will work with just a little more difficulty, leaving just a zero point three percent chance that I'll be unable to help."

"And if that happens," added Rose, "then we'll just help you retrace your steps until we find it, yeah?"

Looking slightly reassured, Ali led them away from the fountain and toward the shop where her husband worked. She entered a shop called Galarxtrian's Toys, and she navigated through the spectacular displays to the desk.

"Wow," said Rose, looking around her. "These are amazing."

"Best in town," bragged the man who stood behind the desk, having overheard Rose's comment. "The hovertrain set with fully programmable course up to two miles is particularly noteworthy," he added, pointing to a train that was as brightly colored as everything else on the planet.

Rose watched as the train chugged along invisible tracks while it navigated the room near the ceiling.

"Hey there, Ali," the shopkeeper said. "Rux is in the break room. You can head on in."

Ali smiled at him in a reserved manner before turning to Rose and the Doctor.

"I'd like to talk to Rux alone first, if you don't mind," she said. "Do have a look around, though. It really is the best toy shop in the area."

After Ali made her way through a door at the back, the Doctor explained a little more to Rose as they walked through the store.

"This whole planet specializes in toys," he said. "They don't think they're just for kids, here. All of these are made for the enjoyment of any people, any age. Playing is taken very seriously on this world. You're more likely to get in trouble for skimping on play time than for skipping out on work. Brilliant planet, this is."

Before Ali returned, Rose and the Doctor had chosen a few toys to purchase, including the train they thought would suit the TARDIS.

"It can go through all the open rooms of the TARDIS, if we want," said the Doctor. "And we can use it to send secret messages!"

Rose, who enjoyed when the Doctor got a bit childish in his enthusiasm, didn't point out that there was no need for secret messages when they were the only ones on the TARDIS who could talk or that they could talk telepathically if they did need to hide something.

Ali returned as they were completing their purchase, holding hands with a male they presumed to be Rux.

As they approached each other, Rux made a gesture with his free hand. It was an odd little shake of the hand, with three twitches to the outside, and Rose had noticed that it seemed to be the equivalent of a handshake. She attempted to return the gesture and was met with the look of someone who appreciated the effort a foreigner had made to speak the local language.

"Rux," said Ali, "this is Rose and the Doctor."

"Ali said you can help us find her ring. Do you think you can?" asked Rux, looking uncomfortable at bringing strangers into what amounted to a marital problem. "She wasn't able to find it on her own, and she's always better at finding things than I am."

"We're gonna do our best," said Rose, turning to look at the Doctor.

Her husband switched their purchases over to his left hand and pulled out his sonic with the right hand.

"I am going to use this," he told the nervous-looking Raccorinite, "to analyze the combination of your DNA and the connecting properties present in your ring."

He activated the sonic in the direction of Rux's hand, then studied the tool, tongue lightly touching his top teeth as he concentrated.

"Then, if I activate this setting here," he continued, more to himself at this point than to anyone else listening, "that should trigger… There we go!" he exclaimed as the sonic screwdriver activated again. He looked up and at the others as if wondering why they hadn't moved yet. "Come on, then, this way," he said, making his way out of the shop.

Lilliana woke as they followed the Doctor, and Rose loosened her wrap a little further so the infant could see more easily. She made contented little noises as she took in her surroundings, the bright colors catching her hazel eyes.

"How old is she?" asked Ali.

"She's about two months old," said Rose, hoping that the unit of time would translate properly.

"She's beautiful," said Ali, "and that hair, it's going to be closer to red than to brown."

"Yeah?" said Rose, stroking the fine hairs gently. "It's not really thick enough for me to tell yet properly."

"Trust me," said Ali with the first hint of a smile Rose had seen on the woman, "I know colors. Her hair is going to be a gorgeous auburn color."

Rose smiled down at her daughter and tried to picture the Doctor's reaction when he realized this; the Doctor and Rux were a little ahead of the women and probably hadn't heard the brief exchange.

After just a few minutes, the group had reached the fountain at which Rose and the Doctor had first met Ali.

"But I checked here at least a dozen times," protested Ali. "I didn't see it anywhere."

The Doctor looked at Rux's bright gold ring and then down to the water in the fountain. In the water were innumerable coins, all the same color as the ring. Ali understood his look and turned a slightly darker shade of purple.

"We're not allowed to retrieve anything from the public fountains," she said, sounding hopeless. "We get sent to Time Out if we try."

In response to Rose's wordless query, the Doctor silently explained, _"Time Out is their equivalent of a jail cell. It's quite a comfortable accommodation, actually, but there's nothing to play with. Even the pillows are attached to the bed, and the bed has anti-bounce properties. It may sound a bit silly to us, but it's actually the ultimate threat in this society."_

"Well," said the Doctor out loud, "I'll risk it. After all, what's a night in lock-up for a life-long relationship?"

He took off his shoes and socks and rolled up the legs of the pinstriped suit he still frequently wore. He hesitated before leaving his socks and shoes on the ground, then decided to slip them into a pocket of Lily's wrap instead, bending to giving her a noisy kiss on the forehead as he did so and grinning widely at the smile he got in return. He straightened, gave Rose a quick kiss on the lips that still managed to get her heart racing a bit despite its brevity, and leapt into the fountain. He quickly narrowed down his search location using the sonic screwdriver, then put it away as he started fishing through the metal at the bottom.

Lily seemed to be enjoying seeing her father splash in the water, and she surprised Rose by laughing for the first time.

Rose automatically looked toward the Doctor, who had just stood up with a ring in hand. He was looking at Lily, clearly having heard the laugh, too.

"You think it's funny for your daddy to be splashing, eh Miss Lily?" he asked as he walked back to the edge of the fountain using much more exaggerated steps than were strictly required, splashing as much as he could in the process.

Lily laughed again, and her parents joined in, finding her laughter contagious. Rux and Ali were happy, too, seeing the ring the Doctor held as he moved back toward them.

Without warning, the Doctor stopped laughing, looking at something behind Rose.

"And that would be our cue to leave," he said, jumping out of the fountain, handing Ali the ring, and grabbing Rose's hand in quick succession.

"Run!" he said, looking at her with a manic smile as they took off toward the TARDIS.

Rose turned to look over her shoulder, safely tightening the wrap as she did so.

"It was nice meeting you!" she called cheerfully to the couple they had gotten to spend just a little time with.

Rose laughed again as they ran hand-in-hand toward the brightly-colored spiral that was currently their TARDIS.

"I missed this, Doctor," she said as they made it to and then through the doors, shutting them behind her while the Doctor started programming coordinates. Rose quickly got the smiling baby into her comfortable seat.

"So did I," he said with a smile as he finished at the console, moving to pull his wife into an enthusiastically tight embrace as the TARDIS dematerialized, bringing the family safely away from well-intentioned law enforcement.

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_Reviews!_

_Yup, I'm going to continue responding to reviews here after each chapter because I appreciate the time you take to review, and I want to do the same for you :)_

_genxblah: I didn't have a convenient point to describe the safety restraint in-story, but you know me; if I mentioned it, I have a clear picture of it. It looks very much like one of the cushy infant car seats, with some modifications. First, it will have to be mostly reclined for a lot longer than a car seat would be rear-facing; with the jerking around the TARDIS does, even a toddler's neck could be hurt pretty easily in an upright position. The harness part has been improved; when unfastened, it is loose enough to get around the child and get it buckled easily. Then, the seat automatically tightens to a safe, but not uncomfortable, point. To unfasten the seat, rather than those hard-to-push buttons, the person doing the unfastening must first place a finger at a small finger print reader at the bottom of a side of the seat, well out of the reach of any child who would fit in it. Then, place the same finger at the spot that the release button would typically be. The harness then releases and loosens to the easy-to-maneuver stage._

_britgirlatheart: I'm so glad you're still loving it even with the hints and bits and pieces you're getting ahead of time! _


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's Note: We're back on Earth for just a chapter-long pit stop :) This chapter is a little longer over on Teaspoon, with nothing missing until the end and no loss of plot._

_Disclaimer: Guess what? I don't own any characters that you've ever seen anywhere else!_

* * *

Chapter Three

The TARDIS arrived back on Earth in the Doctor and Rose's backyard.

"We've been gone for exactly twenty-four hours in this timeline," said the Doctor proudly as he studied readings on the console. "Ha! And Jackie thinks I can't fly properly."

"She does have a pretty good reason to think that, you know," said Rose with a smile as she got Lily out of her seat.

"Oi, it was one mistake, as far as she knows, and it was years ago," he protested as he moved toward them, "a decade, even!"

Rose laughed, transferring Lily to the Doctor's outstretched hands.

"Hello, Miss Lily!" he said to his daughter enthusiastically. "And how did you like our first trip?"

Lily cooed and smiled.

"That's what I thought, too!" he said, pulling her close and smiling at Rose as they made their way out of the TARDIS doors.

"Finally!" came Jackie's voice, the unexpected interruption bringing the family to a complete stop. "Been waiting for hours, I have, and you finally decide to show up."

"Mum," said Rose, more than a little confused, "we showed up when we meant to. What were you waiting here for?"

"I wanted to make sure you got back alright, didn't I?" replied Jackie, hands on hips. "You said you'd be back today, so I've been here all morning, waiting! Organized the kitchen properly, too, since I had the time. You can thank me for that later."

She stalked toward the little family who still stood just outside of the blue police box, angrily kissed both of Rose's cheeks and both of the Doctor's, then took Lily from her stunned son-in-law and stalked back inside their house, leaving Rose and the Doctor staring after her, mouths open slightly.

Rose started giggling and took the step or two over to her husband, putting her arms around his waist as she muffled her laughter into his chest. After a moment, his arms went around her, too, and she felt his smile as he rested his face on her hair. He used their connection to convey his love for her and his slight exasperation with her mother, causing Rose to laugh harder.

When she got control of herself, she pulled back far enough to see his face, which he had contorted into an exaggerated expression of suffering. She reached out a hand to touch his cheek.

"I'll talk to her," she told him before leaning in for a kiss, which he returned with enough enthusiasm to momentarily distract her from the situation.

"Any time now," came Jackie's voice from inside, causing Rose and the Doctor to jump apart instinctively, "you can come inside."

"Dunno how she still does that," said Rose, blushing slightly and frustrated that her mother could still make her feel like a teenager.

"The Tyler women are talented," said the Doctor as they started toward the house, earning him a mock glare from his wife.

Before the couple made it all the way inside, Jackie yelled, "Rose! Doctor! Come quick!"

They ran, stopping in the living room where Jackie sat on the floor. Next to her sat Lily, who smiled a toothless grin at having watched her parents run into the room.

"She's sitting! By herself!" said Jackie, gesturing at the child.

Breathing a sigh of relief that nothing was wrong, Rose moved to join her mother and daughter on the floor.

"She was close yesterday," said Rose, smiling at the happy baby.

"Part Gallifreyan, Jackie," said the Doctor. "She'll grow at the same rate as a normal human, but she should gain control of her body sooner, what with the superior biology and all. And she'll be much smarter than her peers, but you knew that already."

"And you trust Jack to keep up with her while you go galavanting about?" said Jackie, sounding incredulous again.

"Jackie," said the Doctor with a sigh, "Jack may be a bit preoccupied with s...ah...erm," the Doctor paused, seemingly unable to complete that particular word while talking to his mother-in-law. "None of his interests affect his ability to keep Lily safe while she's asleep in the TARDIS. He knows better than to bring someone aboard without permission, and he's very responsible when he chooses to be, as long as you keep him away from anyone who might be willing to participate in...erm...right." He rubbed the back of his neck, looking uncomfortable.

"Mum," said Rose, looking from Lily over to Jackie, "I know you mean well, I really do, but you have to let go a little. If we need to find someone else to watch Puff for us and stop telling you when we leave, we will. I really don't want you to be worried about every decision we make, alright?"

Jackie's face fell.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," she said. "I just want to be sure my family's safe is all."

Barely containing her sigh, Rose responded, "I know, Mum. We appreciate it, really, but we're not going to stop travelling, and it's gonna be hard on you if you're worried all the time."

Before Jackie could respond, there was a jaunty knock at the door.

"S'probably Jack," said Jackie. "I called him when you weren't home. He told me not to worry, said it was only morning and you'd be back eventually." She sniffed slightly and turned to give her granddaughter attention again as the Doctor left the room to open the front door.

"Hey there, Doc," came the American accent through the hallway as the Doctor and Jack joined the others in the living room. "Hiya, Rosie," said Jack with a wink as he came into view. "Jackie," he added at Rose's panicked look, "you look as radiant as ever."

"Jack," said the Doctor with a bit of warning in his tone, though it seemed it was more out of habit than any serious concern. "Stop it."

"Don't worry, Doctor," said Jack, setting down his grey duffle bag. "I won't cross any lines in front of the little lady."

The little lady in question seemed to realize she was being spoken about, and she made a happy noise before attempting to reach for Jack, losing her balance in the process, falling backwards onto the soft carpet. He scooped her up before she could decide whether to cry.

"Come see Uncle Jack," he said as he lifted her. "Don't worry, Jackie," he added as he noted the woman's glare. "Lily and I will get along just fine, won't we?" he said, the last directed more at the baby than at Jackie. "Besides, her parents would take turns killing me repeatedly if anything ever happened, wouldn't they?"

"You may not want to use murder as a conversation starter with a baby, Jack," said Rose, more amused than disapproving, having already established what was and wasn't acceptable behavior around Lily.

"Pete says you've gotten your branch of Torchwood running admirably," said the Doctor, trying to shift the conversation slightly.

"I've got a great team," said Jack. "Our area of authorization is actually pretty quiet, and everything is running so smoothly that I'm not really needed on a daily basis anymore. Pete knows how to reach me if something comes up."

"Mum, Jack, are you hungry?" asked Rose, standing.

"No thanks, Rosie," replied Jack.

"I'm fine, ate while I was waiting, but I do need to show you around the kitchen," said Jackie, standing a bit more slowly than Rose had.

"Jack," said the Doctor, "The TARDIS finished with your room today, but she wants to know if you have any requirements for furnishings. Want to come help me tell her?"

"Sure thing, Doc," he said, and he followed the Doctor out the back door, still carrying Lily.

Rose moved into the kitchen and washed her hands as the watched the men and baby enter the TARDIS, taking a breath before turning back to her mother.

"Thanks for helping with the kitchen, Mum," she said as a peace offering. "Don't know when I'd have gotten to it."

"Don't mention it," said Jackie, and she proceeded to show Rose where everything was now located.

O~O~O~O~O~O

The rest of the afternoon passed quickly, and Jackie eventually announced that she needed to get back home to Pete and Tony. After supper was had and the baby in bed, the remaining adults gathered in the living room, Jack on the recliner near the fireplace, and Rose and the Doctor cuddled on the sofa across from it.

"So, where are we headed first, Doc?" asked Jack, taking a swig of his beer.

"Well," said the Doctor, stroking Rose's hair, "I thought we would spend the day on Theropp. I checked all of the available data banks, and everything appears consistent with what I remember. It's a sort of intergalactic amusement park, so I thought there might be things we can all enjoy. They do have plenty of rides that are safe for children because they get a lot of visits from races that are a bit smaller in stature."

"Oh, right, I've heard of that planet," said Jack, sounding excited. "They've got a whole section just for the adult versions of amusement. Vortex manipulator burnt out before I got a chance to see it, and since you refuse to fix it so it'll go off-planet, this might be my only chance to visit."

"Looks like you picked a good spot for everyone, Doctor," said Rose contentedly.

She closed her eyes, relaxed, as she listened to the two men continue to talk. Over the year or so since the Doctor and Rose had met this world's Jack, the trio had gotten quite close. Rose wondered how much the shared dreams had influenced that, and she was quite grateful that the Doctor had been able to get past his aversion to the fixed point that was Jack. Though she and the Doctor and Jack hadn't traveled together long, her memories from that time were among her happiest, and she very much looked forward to resuming travels with the two of them, despite the fact that it would be quite different this time. For one thing, there would be a baby along, and for another, well, she and the Doctor were now doing the sort of things that made babies in the first place.

They'd taken measures against the baby part happening again until they were ready, though, implanting a hormonal contraceptive that would be effective until it was removed.

With that thought, Rose's mind shifted away from group travels and firmly toward the man whose chest her head was resting on. She moved her hand slowly, subtly (she hoped) to the collar of his shirt, achieving the skin-on-skin contact she needed to include images in her telepathic communication with the Doctor.

The Doctor and Jack were discussing spaceship engines, and Rose waited a moment before sending anything.

"Yeah, Capison 38 engines are rubbish," the Doctor was saying. "That being said, though, if you ever want to…" he trailed off with a squeak as Rose sent him a detailed image of herself in bed, no clothes or covers, stretching languidly.

"What were you saying, Doctor?" asked Jack, sounding highly amused, and Rose tried not to blush as she realized he might have already gotten a good idea of what happened to interrupt the Doctor's thought process.

"Erm, right," said the Doctor, sounding flustered, and Rose marveled at the fact she could still affect him so easily. "I was saying Rose seems tired, and we should probably go to bed, big day tomorrow and all."

"Uh huh," agreed Jack knowingly. "Sure, that's what you were saying. That's okay. I know when I'm not wanted anymore." He winked at Rose, who'd opened her eyes to make sure her friend wasn't genuinely upset.

She sat up straight and stretched, enjoying the feel of the Doctor's eyes burning into her as she mimicked her pose from the image she'd sent him.

"Good night, Jack," she said, giving him a little wave as she stood up and made her way toward their bedroom, the Doctor eagerly following behind her. She stopped just before leaving the room, and the Doctor reached to take her hand, standing just a bit further into the room than Rose was.

"Oh, Jack," she said. "You can sleep either in the guest room like you usually do or in your new room in the TARDIS. It's up to…"

It was Rose's turn to be interrupted as she suddenly received the same image she'd sent earlier, only with the addition of the Doctor engaging in one of his favorite activities. Out of the corner of her eye, since she had been looking at Jack while speaking, she saw the Doctor lick his lips.

"Um, right. Good night, Jack," she said before leading the Doctor more quickly toward their bedroom.

"Good night, you two," said Jack with a chuckle. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

When the Doctor and Rose got into their bedroom and shut the door behind them, Rose was very glad for the one-way soundproofing the Doctor had implemented when they redecorated their room.

* * *

_Reviews! I seriously love every single review I get :) Sometimes I quite literally do a happy dance after reading them. Oh, and I have a bouncy desk chair, so if I'm sitting at it and get a review, I bounce high enough to bump my desk. Whoops._

_britgirlatheart: I am happy to supply your cavity-inducing fluff! The next stop should be a blast :)_

_genxblah: I'm so glad you're enjoying it! And you're welcome for the car seat description ;) Yes, that planet was used to visitors. Most of the planets that the Doctor will consider safe to bring Lily are going to be used to visitors; otherwise, he wouldn't be certain the natives would react well to tourists._


	4. Chapter 4

_Author's Note: Okay, the stop on the amusement park planet demanded its own chapter. Here it is :)_

_Standard Disclaimer: Who would have guessed that I don't own Doctor Who?_

* * *

Chapter Four

With three drivers, two of whom had a telepathic link to the TARDIS, the trips were much smoother than they had been when Rose was first traveling with the Doctor. Still, their new TARDIS reminded Rose a bit of a teenager at times, trying to prove her independence. As they landed on Theropp, the sentient ship decided to wait until after they'd come to a complete stop to settle heavily once more, landing Jack and the Doctor on the ground. Rose couldn't help but laugh at their surprised faces, and Lily joined in happily.

Rose helped the Doctor stand back up and looked around, finding herself still experiencing some disbelief that they were finally back in the TARDIS. The console room was so much like the one she remembered, except that the colors were just the slightest bit brighter and the room just a tiny bit smaller. She watched as Jack checked supplies in his backpack before strapping it on. A few feet away, the Doctor was strapping Lily into the wrap that he would be wearing that day.

The Doctor noticed her silence and stillness and raised an eyebrow, sending an inquiring feeling towards her.

Rose shook her head.

"Everything's fine," she said in explanation. "Everything's just so perfect right now. It's like I'm afraid if I look too close, something bad's gonna happen, you know?"

The Doctor walked over to Rose and hugged her as best he could without making the baby on his chest uncomfortable.

"I can't promise nothing will ever happen," he said in a low voice as Jack made himself scarce, giving them a moment alone, "but we've both had enough bad in our lives to balance out the good, right? Besides, the three of us, we're brilliant, we are! We can handle anything this universe or any other decides to throw at us, hmm?"

Rose smiled, then chuckled a bit at finding herself the one brooding with the Doctor trying to cheer her instead of the other way around.

"There we are," the Doctor said with a grin. "Now then, let's go, shall we?" he asked, extending his arm for her to grab onto, raising his voice enough for Jack to hear the all-clear to return.

Jack returned to the room, and the group went to the doors, Jack exiting first with the Tylers behind him, the Doctor starting his explanation of the planet.

"Theropp didn't actually start out as a planet for the amusement of visitors. In fact," he continued, "in this time, it's relatively new, but after it has been established for a millennia or so, the crime rate rises, and…" he trailed off as he closed the TARDIS doors behind him, taking note of the ship's current form.

The group had landed in an art exhibit of sorts, and the TARDIS had taken the form of a statue. Instead of a serious statues like the ones in their parking area, though, this statue was playful. It was an animation-style version of Rose, wearing a bright pink hoodie, looking up at the sky and whistling. Instead of whistles, however, this statue was sending out a steady stream of water that was being caught by its outstretched hands before disappearing.

Rose let go of the Doctor's arm for a moment to bury her face in her own hands, then looked up and smiled.

"Alright," she said aloud to the TARDIS, "I get it. I'll cheer up. Happy?"

In return, she felt affection and the mental equivalent of a nudge emanating from the ship. Meanwhile, the Doctor was turned to the side so a delighted Lily could see the statue more easily, and Jack seemed to be taking pictures with a small camera.

"Jack!" said Rose. "That's enough!"

"Okay, Rosie," he replied with a good-natured smile on his face.

Rose was certain the photos would turn up later, probably at the next group function that included alcohol. She rolled her eyes and walked toward what looked to be the exit from the art section.

"C'mon, let's go see what we came for," she told the others, taking the Doctor's hand as he caught up to her, Jack moving to walk on her other side.

Together, the three adults and the baby made their way toward the more interactive parts of this section of the planet, the Doctor keeping up a constant narrative stream.

"Each city is its own amusement park," he explained. "The employees actually live off-planet at one of the moons," he pointed at a moon low on the horizon before continuing, "so there isn't even permanent housing planetside. The planet was originally used for mining alone, but one particular group came to the planet with a surplus of both children and engineers. The engineers without work decided to create a place for the children to have fun, and it all quickly evolved from there. This was about a century and a half ago, give or take a year or two, so none of the original inhabitants are still around. However, one of the cities is only available to descendants of those who worked here when the planet was opened to the public. It's got the best quality rides, of course, but the penalty for sneaking in is rather, well, permanent, so I didn't want to risk it with Lily along. Still, the city we're in now, Shrapix, is the next best, and it has the widest variety of attractions of any of the cities."

At this point, they had reached an area filled with carnival games, and Jack stopped at one of them.

"Hey, Doc," he said, "I bet I can break more plates than you can."

The Doctor looked at Jack and studied the game intently for a moment.

"What are we betting?" he asked.

"First night out of the TARDIS on a not-for-families location," said Jack, an easy smile on his face.

The Doctor glanced at Rose to be sure she was okay with the stakes, then agreed, taking Lily out of the baby wrap and handing her to Rose, who was watching with interest. Though the Doctor wasn't really the sort to involve himself in sports on any regular basis, in her experience, she knew he had excellent aim when he wanted to use it.

The game appeared to be nothing uncommon. There were three rows of plates that were raised, lowered, or moved side-to-side with no obvious pattern. Contestants were given seven balls and had to break five plates for a small prize, six for a medium, and seven for a large.

"I'll go first, if you don't mind," said Jack.

Letting him, the Doctor watched the plates closely as Jack threw, analyzing the movement patterns as best he could. The gentleman running the game (a human, by all outward appearances, though everyone present knew those could be deceiving) seemed surprised that Jack was able to hit five plates on his first try. Jack retrieved his prize, a small stuffed bear, and turned back to his group, clapping the Doctor on the chest as he walked by, wishing him luck, and returned to stand next to Rose.

The Doctor stepped up to the throwing line after retrieving the balls from the attendant, and he took aim. His first throw solidly connected with a plate.

"It really comes down to having the mental capacity to judge the patterns and estimate the velocity at which the ball will move as compared to the speed at which the plate is moving," he explained loudly enough for them to hear over the crowded area as he prepared to throw the next ball.

He released the ball, but just before it reached its target, the plate dropped to just below where the ball would have hit. While the Doctor looked at the plates, a bit puzzled, Rose darted a glance at Jack; she was pretty sure she'd heard the brief but distinctive noise of the sonic just before the plate jerked away. Jack winked at her, and Rose sighed and then grinned.

Jack continued to move the plates just out of the range of the Doctor's throws, and after his fifth miss, the Doctor was getting quite frustrated, and Rose and Jack were having trouble containing their laughter. Lily seemed content to just watch everything around her.

"I don't understand. With that velocity and trajectory, the sphere should be striking at exactly the right moment. This game must be rigged," the Doctor said, turning to face his companions. At the sight of them trying to hold back laughter, the Doctor's expression shifted to something between suspicion and exasperation.

"Jack," he started, reaching for his sonic, "did you…" Finding the sonic screwdriver missing from his pocket, the Doctor leveled a glare at the other man, who immediately burst into laughter.

"Sorry, Doc," he said, handing back the sonic screwdriver, "but it was worth it just to see your face."

"I hope you know this means you forfeited the bet," said the Doctor, taking the screwdriver and pointing it at Jack as he spoke. It reminded Rose of a cross teacher holding a ruler while lecturing a student, and Rose finally lost control of her laughter. She had a good long laugh, Lily joining in shortly after she started, and the Doctor himself joining in, though much more restrained, after Rose was unable to stop laughing.

When the group finally settled down, the Doctor threw his last ball, hitting his intended target. The group started off toward their next attraction, Jack moving to give the small toy he'd won to Lily.

"Wait, Jack," said the Doctor, taking the sonic screwdriver and running it twice over the bear. "Never know what's on these carnival toys."

He gave the bear back to Jack to gift to Lily, who took the bear, a look of awe on her face from where she was cradled in Rose's arms, and promptly stuck the corner of its head in her mouth to gnaw on.

"Made sure no parts would come off while I was cleaning it," said the Doctor before Rose could express concern over a choking hazard.

"So, where to next?" asked Jack as Lily was transferred back to the wrap the Doctor still wore.

"Next," the Doctor replied, "is the cinema."

As they made their way toward an uninteresting-looking building, Rose asked, "Can't we see the cinema back home?"

"Ah," said the Doctor, "of course, but this one has an immersion system. The glasses-free 3D viewing area extends all the way into the audience, and the seats move along with the film. We should be just in time to watch 'Exploring Earth.' It is supposed to be very exciting, an outsider's perspective of your planet, created specifically for immersion cinemas around three thousand years after we live there."

O~O~O~O~O~O

An hour later, the group emerged from the cinema. Jack and Rose each looked a bit sick to their stomachs, and Lily had fallen asleep. The Doctor, meanwhile, seemed to have enjoyed himself immensely.

"And then all that time on the ocean!" he was saying, mimicking a rocking motion with his hands as Rose looked away. "Totally inaccurate, of course, but that's understandable considering…" he trailed off, taking in the appearance of the rest of his group. "Didn't you like it?" he asked, sounding a bit hurt.

"It was great, Doctor," replied Rose weakly. "I just might not be up for the whole immersion cinema experience thing yet."

"The rocking," groaned Jack, "and the smells. You didn't mention the smells."

"Well, the odour of rotting fish was actually quite…" the Doctor stopped talking when Jack looked as if he may actually vomit, surprising the Doctor since he'd seen Jack drink inordinate amounts of alcohol without any stomach troubles at all. "Right. So, then," he continued, changing the subject slightly, "Jack and I have each picked something to do. It's your turn, Rose."

He grinned at her in that special way he had, and Rose marveled that he could make her feel beautiful and intelligent with just a look. It was the pride that was mixed in with the smile, she thought.

"Can we just walk around for a bit and I'll let you know when I see something good?" she asked.

"Of course," replied the Doctor, reaching out a hand to Rose and then leading the group away from the large building they'd left.

Lily had eaten before the movie and then fallen asleep as soon as the rocking began, so Rose expected her to sleep for some time. Meanwhile, Rose looked around as they walked. They seemed to be moving through an arcade collection, and she could see a roller coaster and Ferris wheel a little ways further in the direction they were going. She listened to the Doctor's voice as he explained a little more about how the cities were organized.

"We did skirt the edges of the physical interaction sector, which is where the throwing games were located," he was saying, with just a quick glare at Jack, "but mostly we've been in the visual entertainment sector the whole time. The cinemas, of course, can be found in several of the different sectors. The sector we are approaching is the one for rides and such; basically, what we'll find here are things we get into, and then something happens that we cannot control, such as with the roller coaster, which is a fairly standard one. Other sectors include ones that stimulate your mind with mazes and puzzles and the like, ones that cater to Jack's sort of amusements, and ones that cater to gastronomical pleasures."

"I think I'd like to go on the Ferris wheel," said Rose as they got closer to that ride. "Lily should be able to sleep through it, and I haven't been on one in ages."

"I think I'll stay down here," said Jack, "but you two go ahead. I'll meet you back at the TARDIS by sundown."

He veered off from the two, looking eager to reach his goal.

Rose laughed.

"It's good having Jack along," she said, "and I like that he knows when to give us space, too. Need to make sure we go places he likes, too, alright? Don't want to make him feel like we're using him or like he's tagging along."

"Of course," said the Doctor with a sniff. "I'm not always rude, you know. He's headed straight for the carnal sector, anyway, so I'm sure he'll feel plenty appreciated by the time he gets back to the TARDIS."

The family got in line and waited for a turn on the Ferris wheel, discussing what was around them, Rose commenting on what she thought people were like or were thinking, the Doctor explaining the varied architectural styles they could see and the design properties involved in the spherical, enclosed capsules on the ride they were approaching.

They were finally seated, and the ride started, moving around in a large, slow circle. Rose leaned against the Doctor, content, able to see their daughter's sleeping face from where her head rested. When the ride paused with them at the top, Rose looked out at all she could see: the large city filled with attractions and buildings and people, the grey landscape beyond the city's boundaries, the dull blue sky around them. She jumped a little when the Doctor spoke, having adjusted to the quiet.

"We can see anything we want, Rose," he said, his voice low and serious. "This world or any other, anywhere in time or space, we can go. We may go more slowly now that our family has grown, but we're still us. The Doctor and Rose Tyler, in the TARDIS, as it should be, exploring and finding new things, new adventures."

Rose looked over at her husband, wondering what had gotten him so serious so suddenly. Feeling her eyes on him, the Doctor looked back at Rose, then broke into a grin.

"So, that being said," he continued in a happy voice, "where would you like to go next?"

O~O~O~O~O~O

The family eventually tired of the park and returned to the TARDIS, settling down for the evening, relaxing in the library after Lily was transferred to her crib. The Doctor had brought Rose an encyclopedia to help her choose their next destination, and he answered any questions she had as they cuddled on the couch. Right around nightfall, an exhausted Jack Harkness entered the library, collapsing onto the recliner with a contented sigh. The Doctor raised his eyebrows at Rose as if to say he'd told her that would happen. She giggled.

"Good day, then, Jack?" she asked the man who'd closed his eyes.

"Oh, yeah," he said, satisfaction evident. He opened them long enough to take a peek at Rose. "You guys decide where you're having your date yet?" he asked.

"I think so," said Rose, pointing at an entry in her book and looking at the Doctor, who nodded in approval.

Rose grinned before speaking.

"Next stop, Planet Gabble."

* * *

_Review!_

_britgirlatheart: Here's more for you! Mwah!_


	5. Chapter 5

_Author's Note: This chapter is a little bit shorter than I like, but the next should be longer._

_Standard Disclaimer: I own no rights to Doctor Who._

* * *

Chapter Five

Rose took a moment to admire her appearance in the mirror. She smoothed down the dress, grateful for the futuristic material. The black dress stopped a few inches above her knees, flaring slightly when she turned. On her feet she wore boots, having decided putting on high heels would be pressing her luck. A large gold belt completed the outfit, and her makeup was heavier than she'd worn in years.

Feeling prepared for her night out with the Doctor, she left the room and returned to the library, where he was waiting while talking to Jack.

"In terms of full power, theoretically, the spherical edition is going to be more effective than the cylindrical in this partic…" the Doctor stopped mid-explanation as he saw his wife step into the small library. He took in her appearance, slowly raking his gaze along her body, eyes darkening as he returned them to her face.

Jack, meanwhile, whistled at his friend's appearance.

"Wow, Rosie," said the man, earning him a sharp look from the Doctor, who rose from his seat to join his wife at the door.

Rose laughed.

"Thanks, Jack. We should be back before Lily wakes up," she told him as they started toward the console room. "And we'll call if anything happens to delay us."

"Take your time," he called after their retreating forms.

In the console room, the Doctor took one last look at the readings for the planet they'd landed on an hour earlier. They'd wanted to give Rose time to get ready and Lily time to fall back to sleep if the woke during the trip. Lily, however, had slept right through the change from Theropp in her specially-designed cradle.

"We are officially on the planet Gabble in the Hytraxician galaxy in the year fourteen thousand and eighty-four, by local reckoning," he said, then moved to where Rose waited next the exit. Instead of offering his arm or his hand as Rose expected, he swept her into a hug and spun them in a circle, making her laugh and her dress flare out. He set her down and kissed her quite thoroughly, pulling back and asking in a low voice that was almost a growl, "Are we sure we want to go out instead of stay in?"

"Come on, Doctor," she said, smiling and taking hold of his tie and leading him through the door. "New place to see, yeah?"

Rose took in her surroundings quickly, seeing a painting gallery of some sort, nearly empty, and turned to look at the TARDIS, this time eager to see the form she'd chosen.

Their ship was disguised as a tall painting of a scolding Jackie Tyler. The Doctor frowned at the unexpected sight of his mother-in-law.

"I think she's telling us to be careful, Doctor," said Rose, consulting briefly with the TARDIS to confirm.

"It's not like we get into trouble on purpose," said the Doctor, rubbing his neck. "Well, sort of. Anyway, if she didn't want us to go at all, the TARDIS would have locked the doors. Come on," he said, holding out his hand. "Allons-y."

They left the gallery, and Rose blinked as they stepped outside the doors.

"It's the middle of the day, Doctor," she said, surprised.

"Well, of course! What were we going to explore in the middle of the night? Just because it's Lily's night doesn't mean it has to be ours. Time machine," he reminded her with a sniff as they resumed walking. "So, anyway, here we are on the planet Gabble. It's nothing to do with the word it sounds like, of course, though wouldn't that be something? Can you imagine a planet where people have to jabber all day? That could be fantastic! Anyway, since you chose the planet, I chose the time, and we're here during one of this planet's equivalents to a Renaissance. The cultural focus right now is on a shifting of ideas, an explosion-figurative, not literal, of course-of art, music, literature. Since all of these things fit so closely with a given society's accepted norms, the society itself is changing, too, and it's fascinating to see. In fact, even the medical profession has had recent advances and changes, and the lifespan has recently lengthened again for Gabblers."

Rose listened while she watched around her, absorbing the sights and sounds and not-unpleasant smells. The people here were human, Rose remembered reading in the encyclopedia from earlier in the evening. They were genetically evolved enough by this point in time, though, that Cassandra, at least, would no longer consider them human. Rose shook off the memory of the woman who'd possessed her.

Up ahead, she saw a queue of people trying to get into what looked like a rather posh museum.

"What do you reckon's in there?" she asked the Doctor, curious.

"Let's find out, shall we?" he asked, changing their direction slightly to reflect the new destination.

"How are we going to get in?" she wondered aloud.

"I may or may not have a surprise that might help," replied the Doctor happily as they scaled the few steps to the door, bypassing the people waiting to the side. He reached into his jacket and pulled out what looked like a small wallet, and Rose contained her gasp of surprise.

"The Doctor and Rose Tyler," he said, holding out what appeared to be psychic paper. "We have VIP tickets."

The person at the door glanced briefly at the paper and gestured for the couple to enter. The Doctor looked proudly at Rose, taking in her smile.

"I finally managed to get ahold of what I needed to replace this," he told her when they were out of earshot and inside the building. "I wanted to save it until we needed it so I could surprise you."

"It worked," she said with a smile. Then she gasped as they stepped out of a short, uninteresting hallway and into a wide, open gallery filled with some of the most vivid artwork Rose had ever seen. Even the Doctor looked impressed.

They stopped at each painting, discussing them at length. As they stood in front of an entrancing picture of what appeared to be a couple's first, blushing kiss, they were approached by a man dressed in a fine suit. Rose thought he was probably a few years older than she was.

"The artist is magnificent, is he not?" the man asked.

"There are all the same artist?" asked Rose, indicating the size of the room.

"Well, of course," he replied, sounding slightly superior. "When it comes to capturing moments on canvas, Todd Lankerfrey is the most talented and prolific artist of our time. It is said none can look at one of his images without feeling at least a hint of the emotions conveyed by his brush. The honor to be chosen as a subject is amazing."

"How does he choose who and what to paint?" asked Rose. "Some of these he can't have painted from life. The one from inside a burning building is stunning."

"The selection process is extensive. You must have seen the line of people waiting outside, correct? Most of them were awaiting admission to Todd's interviewer."

"Do these interviews take place in the building?" asked the Doctor.

"Of course," said the man again. "Where else? The great Todd does not leave this building for painting, so why would be leave for something so mundane as an interview?" Seeming to decide he was finished educating the Tylers, the man nodded and walked away.

"Shall we see whether we can catch the master at work?" asked the Doctor, indicating a hall nearby that seemed the most likely direction since the building extended the further that way than it did at other exits from the main gallery.

"Sure," said Rose with a shrug. "Why not?"

The two made their way down the hallway. There was little in the way or decor, and few people were present.

When they came to the end of the hallway, they turned left just in time to see a woman walking slowly out of a room. She looked dazed, her long, dark hair partially blocking her face as she walked in their general direction. She walked without seeming to actually look at anything, and Rose stepped into her path.

"Are you alright?" she asked the woman.

The stranger stopped and looked up. Rose fought a shiver as the woman looked straight through her.

"I lost it," the dark haired woman said, sounding heartbroken.

"Lost what?" asked Rose. "My husband and I, we're good at finding things, yeah?"

"I lost it," was all she got in reply.

"What's your name?" tried Rose.

"I'm Sandy. I lost it," she said, almost looking Rose in the eye.

"Alright, Sandy," said Rose. "What did you lose?"

"I don't remember. I can't find it. It's mine, but it isn't there," she said, moving her eyes back to the floor and walking around Rose and toward the exit.

Rose watched her leave, concerned.

"Should we follow her, Doctor?" asked Rose.

"She was in the queue to get in here," he said, not quite answering her question. Before Rose could ask again, another woman came out of the room, this one carrying a painting and wearing a uniform. Rose and the Doctor looked at each other and then moved to talk to the apparent employee.

"Hello, there," said the Doctor, retrieving his psychic paper. "I'm the Doctor, and this is my partner, Rose. We're here from the inspection department, and we need to take a look at this image."

"Of course," replied the woman, whose name tag read "Janet," sounding a bit startled, but Rose was happy to note that she didn't seemed to be dazed as Sandy had.

The image was definitely created by the same artist as the ones in the gallery, thought Rose. In the painting was a woman kneeling at a fresh grave, sobbing, a fresh gash along the arm closer to the viewer.

_"That's Sandy,"_ said Rose silently, her gut telling her it might be time for caution.

_"More than that,"_ said the Doctor, _"That's Sandy at some point in her past. That cut, it's a scar now. I saw it while you were talking. This is far too accurate to be done based on a verbal description."_

"Thank you," said the Doctor out loud to Janet. "That is all we need for now."

He nodded dismissively, and Rose was glad to see the woman leave without arguing. Rose and the Doctor slipped into the room she'd exited. It appeared to be a waiting room of some sort, though nobody was currently present.

There were several chairs around the square room, and there was one other door. The Doctor moved to check it while Rose looked around the room, coming to a stop in front of a painting hung on the wall. Rose heard him try the knob and then heard the sonic screwdriver.

"Deadlocked," he muttered as he came to join her.

The painting was of a woman who appeared to be looking at her newborn child for the first time.

"I just can't shake the feeling that something's not right here," said Rose quietly.

"I agree," said the Doctor. "Besides, who needs a deadlock on a room for interviews? And how did he paint that portrait so quickly? Unless, of course, he had already painted it and this was a final viewing, but in that case, why would she need to wait in line?"

He retrieved his sonic screwdriver again, this time directing it at the painting. He squinted at the tool, put on his glasses, and went through the motions again.

"That can't be right," he said. "Well, I mean, it can be right, but if it's right, we've got a possible problem."

"Why's that, Doctor?" she asked, moving her attention from the emotional painting to her husband.

"Well, because based on these readings," the Doctor said, "if I'm right-and you know I'm very clever, so that chances of my being right are very high-there is a memory transfer happening here. These aren't paintings; they are actual memories. That explains how they can be so well-detailed when there wasn't an image to paint from for some of the more unusual situations."

"You mean like he can copy the memories somehow?" asked Rose, not entirely sure why the Doctor was looking angry as he gazed at the picture on the wall. "I mean, I guess that's maybe an invasion of privacy, depending on whether he's getting permission, yeah, but…Oh." She stopped for a moment. "'I lost it,' that's what Sandy kept saying. That means… I'm right, aren't I?" she continued, watching the Doctor as she spoke. "All of these emotional paintings, life-changing moments, firsts, lasts, hellos, goodbyes...they're not being copied, are they? The people who they belong to don't have them any more; they're being stolen."

Lost in her thoughts, imagining how it would feel to no longer have some of her most important memories, Rose almost failed to hear the locked door knob turn.

* * *

_Reviews!_

_britgirlatheart: More for you! Sorry it's a short chapter, but the next should be longer!_

_jacks marie: So glad you loved it! I hope you continue to!_


	6. Chapter 6

_Author's Notes: This is not my normal fluffy chapter. Don't worry, when this arc is finished, there will be a strong dose of fluff before the story ends. Just a reminder, dialogue in italics is telepathic communication._

_Standard Disclaimer: Are you tired of hearing that I don't own Doctor Who?_

* * *

Chapter Six

_Lost in her thoughts, imagining how it would feel to no longer have some of her most important memories, Rose almost failed to hear the locked door knob turn._

As the sound registered, Rose turned quickly away from the painting and toward the door, noting that the Doctor had placed himself between her and the unknown potential threat. She moved forward to stand at his side, and he took her hand without taking his eyes off the opening door.

"Alright, who's next?" came a male voice as a man came through, looking at a clipboard. He looked up, seeming surprised, but not alarmed, and the Doctor and Rose. "I'm sorry," he said insincerely, "but we don't interview couples together. We can take one of you, but the other will have to wait here."

Rose and the Doctor looked at each other and spoke quickly and silently.

_"Let me go in, Doctor,"_ said Rose. _"We need to look further into this, yeah? And if they're taking memories from human minds, they might be able to tell that your mind isn't exactly human."_

_"That also means you are more likely be susceptible to whatever is doing the taking,"_ retorted the Doctor. _"It's safer for me because it is less likely I'll be compatible."_

_"Right now, they've shown no signs of being violent,"_ Rose returned._ "If they realize they are being set up or investigated or whatever it is we're doing, that might change."_

The Doctor let her feel his reluctance and his worry, and she squeezed his hand more tightly for a moment.

_"I've training and experience in working on my own, and I won't go beyond our communication range of my own free will, alright?"_ she said, sending reassurance. _"We'll keep talking the whole time."_

Before the conversation could get noticeably long, Rose spoke aloud to the man with the clipboard.

"I'll go in," she said, trying to mimic the excitement she thought would show based on how much people seemed to want to be a part of this experience. The man nodded and marked something on his paperwork, then indicated she should come into the room. Rose squeezed the Doctor's hand one more time before letting go and moving past the man and into the second room. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but the room was an entirely unremarkable office with a desk. One chair sat behind the desk and another in front of it. The man (Mark, she saw his name tag read) moved to sit behind the desk and gestured at the seat on the other side for Rose. She felt a moment of nerves as she remembered that the now-closed door between her and the Doctor had been deadlocked, but then she relaxed.

And she kept relaxing.

Realizing something was already wrong but unable to be actively worried about it, Rose sent the Doctor a message before she could stop caring.

_"Doctor,"_ she said, _"there's some sort of truth serum and relaxation mixture being released in this room. I'll be able to block some of the effects because we trained against it, but you may want to start trying to find a way in here, just in case. Subtly, please. I've still got this under control."_

_"Rose,"_ came the Doctor's reply, _"I'm not comfortable with this at all. I'll try subtle, but if I feel anything amiss whatsoever, I'm coming in even if I have to go through a wall."_

Rose chuckled at her image of the Doctor bursting through the wall. It was certainly something easier to picture out of Jack, and she didn't want to picture how dark the Doctor could get when he was angry or worried for her safety.

Mark, hearing her laugh, made another note on his clipboard and looked at Rose.

"Here's how the interview process works," said Mark, reciting what was clearly a familiar script. "First, I will ask you some questions. I will ask you to tell me about some memorable days, about events that might have a visual significance. If anything sounds like it will interest Mr. Lankerfrey, I will ask you to wait here while I retrieve him. Any questions?" he finished, not expecting her to be confused by the simple procedure.

"I have lots of questions," said Rose truthfully, and she took a moment to try to clear her mind a bit from the serum. "How many people do you interview a day?"

Mark tapped his pen on the desk impatiently.

"I interview approximately fifty people daily," he responded.

Rose wondered whether the serum worked on him, too, and spoke to the Doctor a moment, having to concentrate harder now not to speak out loud.

_"Will the serum work on Mark, too, or should I assume what I hear is a lie?"_ she asked.

The Doctor felt a little bit further away than he had been previously, and Rose suspected he was exploring the building nearby, trying to find those alternate entrances, but he was still close enough to respond.

_"He may have some resistance to it, as you do, and he may be able to resist some of the impulse to speak when asked a question,"_ he replied._ "However, as a result of the nature of that particular combination of drugs, it should be impossible for him to resist enough to tell an outright light. A partial lie, though, such as an omission of the whole truth or an intentionally misleading answer, is certainly within the realm of possibility."_

Rose nodded. Out loud, she asked another question.

"How many people tell stories that interest Mr. Lankerfrey?" she asked.

"Three," responded Mark shortly.

"Just three a day?" asked Rose, surprised.

"Yes," said Mark, irritated. "Now, if we could begin?"

"Of course," said Rose. "You were the one who asked if I had any questions," she added, trying to imply that the chemicals were responsible for her nosiness without letting him know she was aware of their effect.

He settled down some.

"Alright, then. Tell me, then, about a memorable day in your life," he instructed, preparing to write as he did so.

Before Rose could decide on a safe memory to share, she found herself speaking.

"I was in a basement where I worked, right? And there were all these mannequins," she stopped herself, not wanting to explain further.

"Continue," he said, and she felt the odd sensation of knowing she should be panicking while entirely calm.

She felt the Doctor's presence in her mind.

_"Let me help, Rose,"_ he told her. _"Repeat after me."_

Rose did as she was told, realising the Doctor was giving her the truth in a way that revealed as little as possible.

"And they were creepy, and I thought they were moving," she said to Mike, using the words the Doctor supplied. "And then this man came, and he took my hand, and he told me to run, so I did."

"And why is this day important to you?" he asked, sounding bored.

"Because I met the Doctor," she replied before she could filter herself, "and he changed my life."

"And who is the Doctor?" asked Mark, continuing with his interview.

"A lord of time," she responded, and part of her brain noted that the drugs had taken full effect. The Doctor fed her a little bit more to say, but Rose was aware that she'd be unable to help her initial responses. "He's really good with time and has really great hair."

"Tell me about another day," instructed Mark, "one with more of a visual impact than a basement."

"The end of the world," replied Rose. "I saw the day the earth ended."

Mark paused in his writing and looked at her.

"I didn't see the actual end, though," she continued at the Doctor's prompting. "I saw a trampoline."

Mark was still looking at her speculatively.

"Wait here, please," he said, moving to exit through a second door Rose hadn't noticed.

_"There's another door, Doctor,"_ she sent. _"He's leaving through it, but I'm still here." She giggled. "You're really still very foxy, Doctor, and I'm not wearing any knickers. Was hoping to get lucky on our date."_

_"Rose, I need you to try to concentrate,"_ said the Doctor firmly._ "I want you to focus on your inner space, and try to push out anything that shouldn't be there."_

Rose tried to do as he said. It got a little easier as she continued, and a fraction of her focus returned.

_"You're still close, Doctor, right?"_ she asked, wanting the reassurance.

_"I'm just outside the room,"_ came his immediate reply._ "The door is deadlocked, but I did have a couple of items in my jacket, and I can use them to create an small explosive should it come to that. If I tell you to move, I need you to get away from the door you entered through."_

Rose took a breath, jumping as the door across from her opened and just a crack. Through it came Mark's voice.

"I want you to think of the most emotional day of your life," he told her before shutting the door, and, as with his previous instructions, she complied before she could find a reason not to.

There was a bright flash of light that filled the whole room, and Rose's mind was filled with a blinding pain. She was vaguely aware of hearing the Doctor shout, but she was unable to move or respond. There was a ringing in her ears, and, on some level, she registered the fact that the door across from her was opening again.

"Come with me, please," instructed Mark. "Mr. Lankerfrey found your potential contributions to be interesting enough to warrant further explanation."

Rose got up from her seat and started slowly toward the man, who looked impatient but not surprised by her lethargy. As she finished crossing the room, there was a loud "boom" from behind her. Mark crouched, and Rose turned slowly, seeing the Doctor come through a newly-formed hole in the wall.

"Doctor," she told him, a tear running down her face as he quickly came to her and wrapped her in his arms, "I lost it."

"Come on," he said, assessing her speedily and then lifting her into his arms and moving quickly back out the hole he'd created. "We need to hide."

Rose buried her face in the crook of his neck, crying softly as he searched for a safe place in the building. After a long minute, she heard a door shut, and she looked around at what appeared to be a very dark closet.

_"Don't speak out loud,"_ the Doctor cautioned, still holding her tightly, protectively.

_"I lost it, Doctor,_" she told him, _"but I don't know what I lost."_

The Doctor sat down carefully, still holding her, Rose cuddled in his lap and against his chest as he stroked her hair.

_"I can try to find out,"_ he said, and she felt his mental presence merging with hers as soon as she nodded her consent. _"I can't try very long,"_ he told her. _"We need to be on guard right now, but…"_

He stopped, and Rose tensed when she felt his mental walls go up as he withdrew.

_"Doctor,"_ she said, feeling a little more herself at what felt like a mental equivalent of a bucket of cold water being poured on her, _"what is it? What's wrong? What did they take?"_

She felt him take a breath before he answered.

_"I can't tell what they took,"_ he said. _"Whatever it is they used, it seems to have created something like scar tissue, except that I believe I'll be able to repair it, over time. I won't be able to restore what they took without the equipment they used and the memory they took. In the meantime, the scar tissue, it means I have no access to your memories."_

She took a deep breath of her own.

_"Okay, then, so we just need to get the painting and the equipment, and we need to return as many memories to people as we can and ensure that they aren't able to do this again,"_ she said, and she was proud of the steadiness in her mental tone as she did.

The Doctor held her close without saying a word, his body tense, and Rose knew that the look on his face would be terrifying if she could see it, all blank face and flashing eyes and Oncoming Storm.

O~O~O~O~O~O

After they waited what felt like days, though the Doctor assured Rose it had only been twenty-four minutes and thirty-eight seconds, the couple cautiously exited the closet, and Rose was surprised to see they were only across the hallway from the waiting room, the closet door designed to blend in with the wall, possibly for janitorial purposes. Nobody appeared to be around, and the Doctor silently told her that he suspected the building would have gone into lockdown, their minimal employees posted near the exits. Still, the two moved slowly and quietly into the waiting room, then into the office through the open door next to a gaping hole.

Rose nodded toward the second door, wishing she was armed despite the Doctor's objections to most weapons. They moved to the side of the door and listened.

_"I don't hear anything,"_ said Rose, and she moved to slowly open the unlatched door.

The room on the other side was empty, with two other closed doors. Rose and the Doctor moved fully into the room and looked around. There appeared to be a button on the wall nearest the door to the office-type room. The Doctor activated the sonic screwdriver toward the button briefly.

"The device is still here," he said, moving to be sure each of the three doors to the room was closed, locking them securely using the sonic before he returned to the button.

The Doctor spoke in a low voice as he worked, and Rose, after a quick look around the empty room turned up nothing of interest, watched him quietly. She felt like herself, but with something missing. The feeling reminded her a bit of the gaping hole when a tooth was gone. There was no pain, just a hole. Searching her memories to try to figure out what was taken didn't seem to be helping at all.

The Doctor removed the panel covering the button, revealing about a square foot of circuitry. He put on his glasses and studied the connections.

"I have to work carefully," he explained. "If I trigger the wrong connection, it could destroy the device, and we may not be able to restore the memories."

He continued to work, speaking quietly to her from time-to-time, working as quickly as he could, trying to minimize their chances of being caught. There was a small click.

"Aha," he said, pulling open the circuit board, revealing a device about the size of a large television remote. "They were amplifying the technology in this," he explained as he carefully removed it from the wall.

"So now we just need the paintings to return memories, right? Will the person need to be there? What if we can't find who belongs to a painting?" she asked.

"The device in conjunction with the painting should be sufficient, I hope," said the Doctor, studying the object in question. "I will need some time to analyse the origins and methods before I can say for certain."

Rose looked around the room again and noticed that something had changed; a compartment on the wall on the other side of the door from the button had opened slightly. Rose took the few steps to the wall and pulled the compartment open, then stood, staring.

The Doctor came to stand behind her, and she could feel the tension he was radiating, even though she could tell he was trying not to project.

In the compartment was a canvas, the paint looking freshly dried.

The painting was of a windblown beach. On it stood a blonde woman in a blue jacket, hair flying, looking between two identical men in pinstriped suits, one suit brown and one blue. The men stared at each other with some unnamed emotion, and the blonde woman seemed torn between hope and desperation, love and frustration.

"Bad Wolf Bay," said the Doctor quietly. "I'll get it back for you, Rose."

Rose stared at the painting, reaching out to touch the frame.

"When was this?" she asked, turning to face her Doctor in time to see his face fall.

* * *

_Reviews!_

_britgirlatheart: I'm sorry for the cliffhangers. I'm so, so sorry. _


	7. Chapter 7

_Author's Note: Let's get out of the sad place so we can get back to the fluff!_

_There will be an adult version of this chapter over at Teaspoon, but it may not be available until morning._

_Standard Disclaimer: Guess whether I own Doctor Who. No? You're right!_

* * *

Chapter Seven

"When was this?" she asked, turning to face her Doctor in time to see his face fall.

"I remember my first time there, of course, but when was I there with both of you?" she continued, needing to know.

"What do you remember about how we got back to Pete's World?" the Doctor asked.

"We, uh… I don't. I don't remember how we got here," Rose replied, her breathing a little heavy.

"What is the first thing you do remember after we came here?" the Doctor tried again.

Rose calmed some as she found the memory.

"It was the day after we got here," she said, "because you came to comfort me early that morning when I had the dream about the Doctor losing Donna."

"What do you remember before that?" he asked.

"Davros. He was taunting the Doctor," she answered, frowning. "I can't remember you before that dream."

He pulled her into his arms.

"We'll get it back," he said, "and we'll ensure this doesn't happen again."

They stood there a moment, arms wrapped around each other, the Doctor still holding both the device and the sonic as he looked over her head at the painting. They broke apart at the sound of somebody trying to open one of the doors they'd yet to enter.

The Doctor took a look at Rose and a look at the painting, then walked quickly to the door, unlocking and opening it in a smooth motion. The person on the other side was Janet, the employee they'd seen earlier, and Janet looked startled at the sight of the Doctor and Rose standing in the room. Her look shifted to one closer to fear as she took in the Doctor's expression.

"I need to see your boss immediately," said the Doctor firmly.

"Mr. L… Lankerfrey doesn't see anybody unless the interview process…" she trailed off at something she saw in the Doctor's eyes.

"The interview process is a sham put into place to steal memories from unsuspecting victims," he said angrily, not softening as Rose came to stand by his side, carrying the painting she retrieved from the wall. "I will speak to him regarding this matter, and I will do it now."

The woman managed to squeak something that sounded a bit like, "This way," before she turned and walked away from them. Rose and the Doctor followed, and Rose tried to reach out telepathically to comfort the Doctor.

Since he had a tendency to shut down when he was angry, Rose wasn't surprised at the mental block she encountered. She was just a little hurt but decided to let it go for now, helped along by the hand he reached out to take hers when he felt her attempt. She took his hand in her free one, grateful her painting was smaller than some of the others, as they walked through a short corridor and stopped at an unmarked door.

Janet knocked nervously on the door, looking over her shoulder at the Doctor before knocking a second time.

"What is it?" came a rough voice from inside the room.

"There's someone who needs to speak with you, sir," said Janet, voice wavering.

"I'm busy," returned the voice that presumably belonged to Todd Lankerfrey.

Janet turned to dart a worried look at the Doctor, who nodded at her before moving toward the door himself. She quickly got out of his way, and the Doctor opened the door without hesitation, revealing an office with a man behind a desk.

The man was unremarkable in appearance. He was handsome enough, with salt-and-pepper hair, but he wasn't the sort to stand out in a crowd and had no defining features. He looked up from his desk with a face that reflected his outrage at the interruption.

"I am busy!" he repeated, standing as he raised his voice.

"I am talking!" retorted the Doctor, holding out the memory-stealing device in his hand.

Todd Lankerfrey blanched, and Rose was worried he may vomit.

"How did you…" the strength left his voice and he sat back down, covering his face in his hands.

"Presumably, you know what this is, Todd?" said the Doctor in a calm, steady voice.

"Yes," he said from behind his hands.

"And do you feel it is acceptable behavior to steal people's memories from them?" the Doctor continued, and Rose found a moment of amusement in picturing him lecturing Lily a few years from now using similar wording and tone. By his slight twitch at her thought, Rose was pretty sure the Doctor had picked up on that amusement.

"It was an accident," said Todd defensively, removing his hands from his face to see the Doctor's eyebrows raised in disbelief.

"I mean," he continued with a defeated sigh, "I didn't know what it did at first. Didn't realize it actually took the memory instead of just making it into an image. I was getting ready to paint somebody, and I had that at my easel. I found it, and it kinda felt like it could be my lucky charm, you know? I didn't have a reason for it, just a gut instinct. I was trying to get a certain look on my model's face, so I was having her remember specific things, and the device got triggered. That first time, I thought maybe I had blacked out and painted it subconsciously or something." He paused, rubbing his eyes before continuing. "Of course, I figured out that it was the device rather quickly when I tried to copy the results for my next model. By the time I realized it was actually taking memories, anywhere from an hour's worth to a day's, my work had already been discovered, and the people were demanding more. At that point I figured they couldn't miss something they didn't know they had, right?"

"Except they did," interrupted Rose quietly.

He took a look at Rose and then at the painting she held, hiding his face again before he resumed speaking.

"Yes," he said, "they did. But by the time I worked that out, demand had gotten huge. If I stopped or admitted what happened, I would be ruined. You have to understand," he finished pleadingly.

"You have to understand that you were changing people's lives for the worse," said the Doctor, steel in his voice. "You have to understand that you were raping their minds for your own profit. You have to understand that you will be leaving here with the authorities, who can hold you for a very long time for forgery of art until they figure out what rules were broken with the memory theft itself."

Todd slumped in his chair, nodding. Rose felt herself relax when she saw he wasn't going to fight.

"Now, you are going to tell me everything you did to amplify this device so that I can reverse the damage you've done," said the Doctor.

Todd retrieved schematics from his desk.

"You're lucky," the Doctor told him as he read the designs. "Because of these circuits here, I will be able to reverse everything with just the device itself, so we won't need to track down your buyers."

Todd nodded and ran a hand through his hair.

"It's all over then, isn't it?" he said. "I'll be a nothing again. Less than."

"Your actions are what did that to you," said the Doctor, "not your lack of previous success."

The Doctor took out his sonic and then paused.

"We need the authorities here before I reverse this," he said, indicating the phone that sat at the corner of Todd Lankerfrey's desk as he looked over the schematics again. Rose handed him the phone to make the call, not feeling up to speaking with the authorities on a strange planet while the feel of a hole still lingered in her mind.

The Doctor called the police, quickly explaining the situation. When he hung up, he explained to Rose that they should be there very quickly. Any form of tampering with art was taken quite seriously in this particular time and place. She nodded and sat down, studying her painting, and the Doctor spoke.

"The brain is a delicate thing," he said to Todd. "Removing memories is never something that should be done lightly. When it has to be done, it should be for the sake of saving a life. At minimum, it should improve life at the person's request."

Rose teared up slightly as she remembered Donna's pleas to keep her memory.

"To take memories for profit," continued the Doctor, "for fame or for recognition is unacceptable. If the return of these memories is unsuccessful, you will have to hope the authorities can keep you safe."

Rose turned toward the Doctor and put a hand on his arm. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He turned toward Rose and opened his mouth to speak, but the police chose that moment to arrive.

The Doctor explained again what had happened, carefully using Rose's picture as illustration when needed.

"My brother interviewed for you," muttered one of the policemen as he instructed Todd in his rights. He applied some form of handcuffs and escorted Todd from the room. One official remained behind to witness the return of the memories.

"Ready?" said the Doctor, looking Rose in the eye as he took both device and sonic screwdriver in hand.

She nodded, taking one more look at both him and the painting.

"Ready, Doctor," she told him.

Rose heard the sound of the sonic and then a loud ringing in her ears, and she grabbed her head as pain returned, less this time then when the memory had been removed. The discomfort was brief, and she looked up as the Doctor was setting down the device and moving toward her. She caught a glimpse of a blank, white canvas before the Doctor's face was right in front of hers. He appeared to be checking her eyes and her reaction time, having slipped into doctor mode at her pain.

"M'okay, Doctor," she told him, placing a hand over his heart in a familiar way that almost made the heart in question skip a beat. "'Together,'" she said, repeating the word that had been so true for them since that moment on the beach. She saw recognition in his eyes before he pulled her to him, wrapping her in a hug so tight that it felt as if his life depended on being as close to Rose Tyler as possible.

The policeman who had stayed in the room cleared his throat. "Well, if that's settled, then I'll just…" he gestured out of the office, and Rose gave him a quick, appreciative nod at his offer of privacy before burying her face in the Doctor's chest, and she was vaguely aware of the door shutting behind him.

Rose wasn't sure how long they stayed like that, embracing, not moving, but eventually, the Doctor pulled back, just a bit, without letting go.

She stroked his face as he studied hers.

"I know that losing that memory didn't change who we are," said Rose, quietly, looking from his eyes down to his lips, "but I'm glad I got our first kiss back."

She flicked her eyes back up to his just in time for his lips to press against hers, a desperation in them as his mental walls came crashing back down, letting Rose feel the tumultuous range of emotions he had been keeping from her, from himself, even, while he needed to remain calm and functional. She kissed him back with all of the love she felt for him, showing her regret for the temporary loss of her first memories with him and her sadness at the unpleasant connections the experience had for the Doctor. His hand moved down from her waist and fisted in the material of her dress as he slowed the kiss.

"Let's get out of here," he said, and Rose nodded, taking his hand and standing, following him out of the door after he slipped the memory device into a pocket.

They weren't stopped as they left the now-colorless gallery, the blank white canvases lining the main display room. Rose blinked again as they stepped into the light.

"What time is it?" she asked, surprised.

"Around lunch time," said the Doctor. "We've only been gone from the TARDIS for three hours, forty-six minutes. We should still have a few hours before Lily wakes up, if we want to do anything else."

Checking her mobile and seeing a recent text from Jack saying that all was well and he was going to sleep, Rose looked at the Doctor.

"Is there someplace we can go with just us?" she asked, and he nodded.

"This way," he said, leading her down the steps and along the sidewalk. As they walked hand-in-hand, people started speaking more loudly about the blank paintings and about memories they'd forgotten they had. The volume continued rising, and Rose was pretty sure that if the public ever got ahold of Mr. Lamperkey, he wouldn't be a very happy man.

They came to a small building that appeared to be closed.

"I called ahead while you were showering earlier, pulled some strings, and we have the place to ourselves," said the Doctor, entering a code on a numeric keypad as he spoke. He beamed at her as the door opened, and he gestured for her to enter.

Inside, there were just a few small tables, one of them set with a meal and some small lights. The walls on three sides were glass, and on the other side of the glass were numerous, brightly colored fish. Rose looked around, impressed at the immersive aquarium.

"They call it 'living art,' and this type of thing is very popular right now. I thought you might enjoy it," he said, fiddling with his earlobe nervously. "There are different forms of art behind the glass at different restaurants, of course, but I thought you might like this one.

"I love it, Doctor," she said, placing both hands on his chest as she looked up at him.

O~O~O~O~O~O

After their meal, the Doctor and Rose returned to the TARDIS, exhausted. They collapsed into bed and fell asleep instantly, waking just half an hour later when Lily loudly informed the TARDIS's occupants that she was awake and ready to start her day.

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_Reviews!_

_britgirlatheart: I really am sorry! This chapter didn't get super fluffy, but I have pretty much nothing but fluff planned for next chapter._

_jacks marie: Here's the update! It's rare for me to go more than a day or so without an update, especially when people are awesome and let me know they're waiting :) Thanks so much for reviewing, and I am glad you're liking it!_


	8. Chapter 8

_Author's Note: Well, here we are at the last little chapter. This could go on forever since it's just them traveling, but now we've seen what sorts of adventures they'll have. There will be further additions to the series for any major adventures or life changes that might arise, but for now, this story is over. I hope you've enjoyed the ride!_

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Chapter Eight

After a long and emotional night out with virtually no sleep, the Doctor and Rose were exhausted. They managed to navigate safely back to their house, and Rose found herself very grateful that Lily still napped a lot during the day. When Jack finally made his way out of the TARDIS sometime around noon, Rose was asleep on the couch, Lily sleeping on her chest, and the Doctor was resting on the recliner next to them, a hand reached out to hold Rose's.

Rose heard the low rumble of Jack's voice and guessed the Doctor was awake. She chose to keep her eyes closed and listen, deciding that joining the conversation was too much effort.

"Long night, huh, Doc?" asked Jack, keeping his voice quiet in an attempt to avoid waking the two who appeared to be sleeping on the couch.

"You could say that, yes," replied the Doctor.

"Must have been for you to still be this tired, superior biology and all," said Jack, and Rose could almost hear the wink as he said it.

"I'm awake, mostly," said the Doctor in mild protest. "I'm trying not to wake Lily and Rose."

"How was your date?" asked Jack, still speaking quietly.

"It was...eventful," said the Doctor with a pause. "Overthrew the corrupt, scandalized an entire society. You know, the usual."

"Didn't take long to get back into the swing of things, huh?" Jack continued, and Rose thought she heard him sit in the loveseat, which was the only free seating in the living room at that moment.

"No, it didn't," said the Doctor. "We do seem to have a knack for wandering into trouble. Don't know what I'd do if something ever happened to either of them."

Rose squeezed his hand comfortingly, and the Doctor seemed to realize she was awake, stroking her hand lightly with his thumb.

"We'll keep them safe, Doctor," said Jack. "You know I wouldn't let anything happen to either of them."

"I know," replied the Doctor. "Can't tell you how much I appreciate it, and that's really saying something."

"You seem troubled, Doc," said Jack, and Rose heard the Doctor sigh.

"With everything I've done and seen, Jack, sometimes it's hard to relax, knowing everything that could go wrong," he said.

"You know, Doc," returned Jack, "that's exactly why I do enjoy the good times, and I think you already get that. Any moment, everything could turn to shit, so why waste the time we have, even if it is longer than most people have. Maybe especially because it's longer than most people have."

The Doctor made a sound of agreement and squeezed Rose's hand. She opened her eyes to see him watching her. She smiled at him.

"Hello," she said.

"Hello," he said, smiling back at her.

Lily chose that moment to wake, opening her eyes and looking around, smiling when she saw both parents and "Uncle" Jack. She made a happy noise as the Doctor lifted her from where she had been resting on Rose, pulling her onto his lap.

"And how are you, Miss Lily?" said the Doctor as he bounced his babbling daughter.

Jack chuckled.

"She talks as much as her father, huh, Rosie?" he commented.

Rose nodded and sat up, yawning a bit.

"But she got her mummy's pretty eyes. Yes, she did," said the Doctor as Lily gummed enthusiastically on her fist.

Rose looked over at Jack a moment to be sure he was paying attention before she turned back to face Lily and the Doctor.

"What about her hair, Doctor? Whose hair did she get?" Rose asked, watching the Doctor's face.

"Well, dunno about that yet," he said, leaning closer to look. "Her hair's still…" he trailed off, then got up quickly and moved to stand near the window that was letting in the most light. "Ginger! Her hair is ginger! That's brilliant, that is," he said with his widest grin, turning to share his delight with Rose, who smiled back at him while Jack laughed quietly.

The Doctor hugged Lily, then sat on the floor so he could let her down. She sat next to him, babbling away happily.

"Your Daddy is going to be so jealous of your hair," said Rose with a grin as she watched the two of them.

"You might need help fending off the suitors when she's older, Doc," said Jack.

The Doctor nodded and Rose laughed.

"The poor girl," she said. "Because a disapproving Time Lord isn't enough, any of her boyfriends are going to have to go through an ex-time agent, ex-con, too? She's going to hate you both so much."

"Nah, she's going to love us," said the Doctor, looking at Lily, "because she is her mother's daughter and can forgive us anything, right?"

Rose rolled her eyes, then got up as the phone started ringing.

"Oh, good, you're home, then," said her mother after Rose answered.

"Hello, Mum," said Rose, walking back to the living room door, watching the Doctor and Jack entertain Lily.

"I decided to call before coming over this time so as to avoid the lecture," said Jackie.

"I appreciate it, Mum," Rose replied. "I do like seeing you and having you over."

"You just like warning, right?" Jackie clarified. "You know, like the warning you used to give me when you and himself would drop by in that machine, right?"

Rose sighed and smiled. The Doctor looked up at her when he heard the sigh and grinned at the face that clearly told him she was talking to her mother, then resumed his attentions to Lily.

"You are welcome over whenever you want," said Rose. "I'm not sure what we're having for dinner tonight yet, but why don't you and Dad and Tony come over for a while, yeah?"

"Oh, right, because you assume I don't have any plans. Sure, we'll come over, but only because I love you," came Jackie's response.

"That's great, Mum," said Rose, ignoring the first part of her mother's statement. "I'll see you in a little bit then."

She ended the call and returned the phone to its base, then let the others know they'd be having company before she moved to the kitchen to figure out what they would eat.

O~O~O~O~O~O

The rest of the afternoon and evening was pleasantly hectic. At one point, Rose found herself watching her family at the dinner table. The Doctor was talking to Pete, her mother was focused entirely on Lily, and Jack was sneaking Tony bits of food to sneak in turn to Puff, who was purring contentedly at the boy's feet.

She thought about this as she relaxed in bed with the Doctor.

"Our family is perfectly weird," she told him.

He made a sound of agreement before asking, "Why do you say that?"

"Well," said Rose, "My DNA is part time vortex, however that works; you are part Time Lord; our daughter is both of those plus human, of course. My mother is from a different world than the one we're living on. My father isn't really my father even though he definitely is. My brother is technically my full-blooded brother but actually more like a half-brother. Jack isn't technically related to either of us but is completely part of the family, and we'd never have met him if I hadn't accidentally made his parallel version and this one both a bit on the immortal side. And we've got a cat who came from Italy and whose first owner was an alien that could be mistaken for a yeti."

The Doctor chuckled.

"Mmm, I suppose we wouldn't quite pass as a typical family if anyone looked close enough. It does depend on your definition of 'typical,' though," he added. "For example, on some planets, the typical family includes at least ten children per adult, with three adults per nuclear family. Of course, we wouldn't be considered typical there, either, would we?"

Rose snuggled close to the Doctor, careful not to kick Puff from where the cat was curled up near her feet. She had her head on his chest and an arm around his waist as they talked.

"That's true," she said. "Our lifestyle is a bit on the unusual side, too, I suppose. Probably aren't many families on Earth who travel in a time machine regularly."

"You're probably right," said the Doctor. "Speaking of, where would you like to go next?"

"Let's do somewhere on this planet next. Maybe see how different the past is here?" Rose suggested.

"That sounds fantastic," replied the Doctor, stroking her hair. "And then maybe we can check out the future. Not just on Earth, but humanity's future, show Lily where it's headed. There's a particularly fascinating era that I was considering. People speak a mix of English and Chinese, and…"

The two continued exchanging ideas for places to visit until they drifted off to sleep. Rose's dreams that night were of the ordinary-for-her variety, filled with visions of traveling to new places, of seeing new things and meeting new people, and of her husband saying, "Hello, I'm the Doctor. I'm over 900 years old, or I'm six, depending on how you look at it. This is my Rose and our Lily, and we come in peace, unless you've plans to destroy the planet."

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_jacks marie: Yes, the Oncoming Storm certainly came out to play in the last chapter. Thanks so much for all of your comments!_


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